Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 15, 1496-1505, Copyright © 1995 by Society for Neuroscience
Two kinetically distinct 5-hydroxytryptamine-activated Cl- conductances at Retzius P-cell synapses of the medicinal leech
V Lessmann and ID Dietzel
Lehrstuhl fur Molekulare Neurobiochemie, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Germany.
The properties of serotonin (5-HT)-activated Cl- receptor/ion channel
complexes in neurons of the CNS of the medicinal leech were analyzed. These
channels mediate the postsynaptic response at the serotoninergic Retzius
P-cell as well as Retzius-Retzius cell synapses. 5-HT-induced Cl- currents
were activated by fast superfusion of transmitter on cells dissociated from
embryonic leeches including histochemically identified Retzius cells.
Whole-cell currents elicited by partial superfusion of the membrane and
summated single-channel currents of outside-out patches showed times to
peak of 18 +/- 4 msec and 10 +/- 5 msec, respectively, and desensitized
with time constants of 28 +/- 3 msec and 20 +/- 11 msec. Persistence of
single-channel openings in the outside- out configuration as well as lack
of effect of dialysis of the whole cell with AMP-PNP or GDP-beta-S
indicated that 5-HT directly gates the Cl- channels without involving
second messenger cascades. In outside- out patches, two single-channel
conductances of 13 pS and 32 pS were identified. While the 13 pS
conductance desensitized, the 32 pS conductance activated within several
tens of msec and showed no desensitization. We postulate that two subtypes
of channels are coactivated by 5-HT and that the activation of the fast
desensitizing channel could be responsible for the fast decaying component
of the post-synaptic response. The slow conductance explains the second
slower decay time constant of the postsynaptic response and could account
for the tonic component sometimes observed at Retzius P-cell synapses.